“To boldly go where no man has gone before.” – Hermann Oberth Hermann Oberth’s theoretical breakthroughs transformed rocketry from speculative fiction into science, thus influencing the development of modern space exploration. His mentorship of Wernher von Braun and contributions to the V-2 rocket program set foundational principles that shape the field. Germany’s major figure in …
Author Archives: saemiller
A Possible High-Re Liquid He Experiment
I wrote about this experiment and discussed it with funding agencies long ago and just wanted to post the idea. I am exploring the possibility of conducting high-Reynolds number turbulence experiments. One experiment would involve constructing a large isolated vessel filled with liquid helium to create fully developed, spatially localized high-Re flow through transient forcing …
Research Notes on Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
“The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot live in the cradle forever.” – Konstantin Tsiolkovsky In 1903, Tsiolkovsky wrote an article called, “Exploration of outer space by means of rocket devices,” in The Science Review. Born in September 1857 in the village of Izhevskoye, Russia, Tsiolkovsky was the fifth child in a …
Early Rockets and Review Notes
One of the earliest documented uses of rockets was in China. Father Antoine Gaubil, a French Jesuit missionary and historian, described an event in his 1739 writings, “When it was lit, it made a noise that resembled thunder and extended 24 km. The place where it fell was burned, and the fire extended more than …
Hypersonics History of Reentry
Lately, I have been examining the entire history of hypersonics research and technology, with a particular focus on the re-entry problem and ablation for small vehicles, such as those from ballistic missiles. While reviewing the writings of Wernher von Braun, I was amused to find that he joked about using frozen balsa wood as a …
Words and Virginia Woolf
Finally, and most emphatically, words, like ourselves, in order to live at their ease, need privacy. Undoubtedly they like us to think, and they like us to feel, before we use them; but they also like us to pause; to become unconscious. Our unconsciousness is their privacy; our darkness is their light… That pause was …
Kelly Johnson on X-Plane Programs
Our present research airplanes have developed startling performance only by the use of rocket engines and flying essentially in a vacuum. Testing airplanes designed for transonic flight speeds at Mach numbers between 2 and 3 has proven, mainly, the bravery of the test pilots and the fact that where there is no drag, the rocket …
Navier-Stokes Equations and Practicality
Because an effort is likely impossible and impractical does not mean it is not worth attempting. The Navier-Stokes equations and turbulent flow represent the last great classical problem in physics. Since the time of Leonard Euler and Jean-Baptiste le Rond d’Alembert, many have devoted much of their lives to working on these problems. Although they …
Eight Years at Florida
It has now been eight years since I joined the University of Florida. Years ago, the University was a very different place. Many things have changed due to external and internal factors. One thing is for certain: I am told that the academic community and academics are always changing. To be a successful professor, much …
Deming and Statistics
In God we trust. All others must bring data. — W. Edwards Deming Deming revolutionized quality management with his emphasis on data-driven decision-making. His 1950s lectures on Statistical Product Quality Administration in Japan were instrumental in Japan’s post-war economic growth, helping it become the world’s second-largest economy. Deming was awarded the National Medal of Technology …